http://j-net21.smrj.go.jp/watch/news_tyus/entry/20090120-05.html
(This article is only Japanese)


Here is a translation and quoted with a great help from Mr. Mizushima, the japan daily industry news, allowing to post this article.

The trial project, "ICA-Net", by consumers complaint handling entities from 5 countries will be launched in January, 2009. The purpose of ICA-Net is to decrease anxiety for e-commerce, such as fraud, miscommunication, cultural difference and many kind of troubles. That will make expand e-commerce market with people conveniences.

Dec. 2008, The kick-off meeting for ICA-Net was held in Tokyo, attending with EC Network(Japan), BBB online(US), SOSA(Taiwan), CASE(Singapore), NCCC(Malaysia). They agreed to launch a trial use within January,2009 in the meeting.

The complaint handling entity, is called "CALO", Consumer Advisory Liaison Office, will translates a complaint from consumer and post it to the ICA-Net system, which was developed by EC Network, to notify a issue to respondent CALO(B). The CALO(b) will take action with related company or police or other organization to solve the problem. The result will be reported thru the system again.  The petitioner CALO will translates the result to own language and transfer it to the consumer.

EC network reported that they received 649 claims in 2007 increasing 63 more than 2006, including 136 international problems.(increasing 28 than 2006). 40% of them were mail ordering trade, another 40% were related to auction trading. Most of them were not-delivery case after paying by credit card.

ICA-Net plans to promote to join more country. Thailand and Vietnam will join in 2010, will encourage APEC members until 2011, and co-work with ECC-Net with which 27 Euro countries join, until 2013.

However, factual number of troubles must be more since many consumers bear it silently without knowing those entities to support consumer's complaint. The challenge is to gain their recognition and get a financial foundation.